Gear-generator.



J. E. GLEASON, A. L. STEWART & w. H. SNOW.

GEAR GENERATOR.

APPLICATION EILED MAR. 12, I91].

1 ,236,836. Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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GEAR GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12. m1.

1 2 3 6 83 6 Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- 27/2120: TTOR/VEV J. E. GLEASON, A. L. STEWART & W. H. SNOW.

GEAR GENERATOR.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1917. 1,236,836, Patented Aug. 14., 1917.

. 3 SHEETSSHEET S.

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ZMA TTOH/VE r5 v with parts in elevation, showing the applica-' UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

JAMES E. GLEASON, ARTHUR L. STEWART, AND WILBUR H. SNOW, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO GLEASON WORKS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

GEAR-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 12 1917. Serial No. 154,178.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES E. GLEASON, ARTHUR L. STEWART, and WILBUR H. SNOW, all of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gear- Generators; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the referencenumerals .marked thereon.

The invention relates to gear generators with particular reference to machines for cutting bevel gears, and is in the nature of an improvement on the structure disclosed in an application filed by James E. Gleason, May 26, 1913, Serial No. 769,808, which is now pending, and the purpose of the present mechanism is to adapt the machine of the aforesaid application to 'the generation of gears by-a different principle, consisting in rolling the gear blank on. a bevel gear segment or cone instead of on a crown gear or plane surface, or otherwise producing a relative movement between the gear blank and cutter that will correspond to or alford the same generated effect as rolling the gear blank on a conical or bevel surface. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view tion of the present improvement;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional view, with the cutter and supporting parts in elevation, and

Fig. 4: is a detail view.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The general arrangement and drlvlng mechanism of the present case is substantially similar to that of the former application referred to, and inasmuch as such features as are disclosed in the pending application form no part of the present invention, it is not deemed necessary to describe all the parts in detail and it will be sufiicient to designate them in a general way are guided in the tracks 4. The cradle 2 has 'adjustably mounted thereon a supporting plate 5 provided with a standard 6 which supports a work spindle 7. The base of the machine also includes a frame 8 upon which a bed plate 9 is arranged, swinging or pivotingabout the central arbor 10 and adjustably arranged on the bed plate 9 is an upright support 10 havig arranged therein the cutter spindle 11 upon which is secured a cutter-head 12 provided with planing tools or cutters 13 which travel across the face of the gear blank 14 in a circular path when the cutter spindle is rotated, and acting as a rotary face milling cutter, as will appear clearly from Fig. 2.

Thelongitudinalcurvature of the tooth of a gear is determined by the circular travel Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

of the tools, the cutting edges of which are preferably straight sided, and in order to generate the sides or profile of the tooth properly, that is to say, to impart the proper shape to the tooth from top to bottom, as distinguished from end to end,,it is intended to impart a relative profile generating movement to the cutter head and gear blank, corresponding tothe relative movement of mating bevel gears when one is rolling upon the other, and this is preferably carried out by giving a generatlng movement to the blank carrier, whereby the blank moves with reference to the cutter head as if it were rolling around a cone or segment of a bevel gear. In the present embodiment,

the cradle 2 is moved back and forth on the 4 is at an acute angle to the rotary axis of the cutter head. Since the gear blank axis 7 extends in the same longitudinal direction as the generating travel of the cradle, or of the tracks 4, when the cradle is moved, it rolls the gear blank asaround a conical surface, a section ofwhich is represented by the cutter in action at any particular mo ment. In the application previously referred to, the direction of movement of the cradle was at right angles to the rotary axis of the cutter spindle, theefiect of which was plished in other ways than that particularly described, so that the invention is not to be confined to a machine in which the blank itself is moved to obtain the generating action.

The blank spindle is indexed through any suitable index gearing designated generally by 15, motion for which may be obtained from the electric motor 15 this being a conventional and well known form of index mechanism. 16 is the main driving pulley and operates through suitable gearing. to move the connecting rod 17 back and forth for imparting the necessary oscillating movement to the cradle. Motion is also obtained from the driving pulley 16, through suitable gears, for rotating the cutter spindle 11 constantly, and through the cam wheel 18, the bed plate 9 is intermittently rocked about the axis 10 to withdraw the cutter head 7 from operative engagement with the gear surface.

blank, which is then indexed to bring another portion of the blank into cutting position.

In order to roll the blank past the cutter, when the cradle is operated, the spindle 7 is arranged in a sleeve 19 which carries a splined collar 20,supported in the standard or bracket 6. The collar 20 has fixed on it an extension 21, provided with a segment of a bevel gear 22, and this latter engages" a cooperating bevel gear segment 23 that is fixed on the frame of the machine. Thus, as the cradle is moved, the gear blank is turned and rolled in accord with the movement of bevel segment 22 on the stationary bevel segment 23, giving the blank a movementas if rolling about a cone or bevel segment, instead of on a crown gear or plane It will be understood that with this type of machine the cutter head is held in engagement with the blank until one side face of a tooth is completed, and the blank is then indexed during the time that the cutter is withdrawn and by the time the cutter is returned to operating position by swinging the bed plate 9 about the axis 10*, the next'tooth on the blank will have been brought into position to be engaged by the cutting tools.

We claim as our invention: 1. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a cutter and means for effecting relative movement thereof to cut a messes curved slot, of means acting to produce a relative profile generating movement between the blank and cutter corresponding to the relative movement of the blank and a mating bevel gear when one is rolling upon the other.

2. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a cutter and means for effecting relative movement thereof to cut a curved slot, of means acting to produce a relative profile generating movement between the blank and the cutter correspond ing to the movement of the blank on a conical section.

3. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a cutter and means for effecting relative movement thereof to cut a curved slot, of means acting to producea profile generating movement of the blank past the cutter corresponding to rolling the blank on .a bevel segment, a section of which is represented by the cutter.

4:. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a rotary face milling cutter movable across the face of the blank, of means acting to produce a relative profile generating movement between the blank and the cutter corresponding to the relative movement of .the blankand a mating bevel gear when one is rolling upon the other.

5. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a rotary face milling cutter movable across the face of the blank, of means acting to produce a relative profile generating movement between the blank and the cutter corresponding to the movement of the blank on a conical section.

6. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with av blank carrier and a rotary face milling cutter movable acrossthe face of the blank, of means acting to produce a profile generating movement of the blank past the cutter corresponding to rolling the blank on a bevel segment, a section of'which is represented by the cutter.

7. In a machine for producing curved t oth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a rotary face milling cutter each tool of which is movable across the face of the blank in a circular path, of means acting to produce a relative profile generat-. ing movement between the blank and the cutter corresponding to-the relative movement of the blank and a mating bevel gear, when one is rolling upon the other.

8. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a rotary face milling. cutter each tool of which is movable across the face of the blank in a circular path, of

means acting to produce a relative profile generating movement between the blank and the cutter corresponding to the movement of the blank on a conical section.

9. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a rotary face milling cutter each tool of which is movable across the face of the blank in a circular path, of means acting to produce a profile generating movement of the blank past the cutter corresponding to rolling the blank on a bevel segment, a section of which is represented by the cutter.

10. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a rotary face milling cutter each tool of which is movable across the face of the blank in a circular path, of means acting to produce a profile generating movement of the blank past the cutter in a direction extending at an acute angle to the rotary aXis of the cutter.

11. In a machine for producing curved tooth bevel gears, the combination with a blank carrier and a rotary face milling cutter each tool of which is movable across the face of the blank in a circular path, of meansaeting to produce a profile generating movement of the blank bodily past the cutten in a direction parallel to the gear blank axis.

JAMES E. GLEASON. ARTHUR L. STEWART. WILBUR H. SNOW. 

